The best week of the season

It’s been a topsy turvy, peculiar week here at the Times, and I think its good to embrace our routines, such as the Tuesday NFL review. So let’s embrace the best week of the season. It’s the only week of the year that we get a full slate of games and aren’t stuck having to watch the Vikings.

I had to work overnight Saturday to Sunday, but still set my alarm for noon so I could catch the Jets-Giants game. I’m really trying to remember something from this game, but I mostly fell asleep during it. I do remember waking up in time to see Chad Pennington throw an interception. It seems like I hear about how good Pennington is supposed to be, and how Jets fans are unnecessarily harsh on him, but then I watch and, well, he sucks. If Thomas Jones did anything though, maybe Pennington wouldn’t get annihilated every time he stepped back in the pocket.

So, after seeing so little of the early game, my folks came over and the baseball game came on, which limited what I was able to see of the afternoon games. From what I saw of the Chargers-Broncos gane, I established that the Broncos may not be so good. The other conclusion would be that Norv Turner figured things out and is running the Chargers well now. But I don’t think that’s possible.

A conclusion can also be drawn from the Colts game. The offense has it so well put together that you can plug any running back in there (Kenton Keith?!?) and they’ll be all right. In some teams where this happens, you would pin the credit on the line, but is it possible that Peyton Manning really is so good that the running game is reliant on Manning as well? It would make the Colts a 2-14 team if he ever went down. (Residual pessimism from Purdue? Yes. How do you rush 3 and drop 8 on 3rd and 6 in your own zone in the first quarter against a perennial rushing team? I’m more of an online GM than coach, but seriously, I’m having trouble seeing why this makes sense at all, let alone why you would do it twice.)

The difference between Brett Favre in weeks 1-4 and his game against Chicago was that he played like ass against Chicago. This really wasn’t a corner turned by the Bears, but it may signal the beginning of the end for the Packers season. Of course, who can catch up to them? I really don’t have anything else to say about this game. Anyone watch Boston Legal tonight?

I don’t have any patented Bills jokes to make, because I haven’t seen them play in about 8 years. That being said, they don’t have an offense. The Cowboys and Tony Romo played brutally all day, turning it over 6 games but still won, simply because the Bills couldn’t score any points offensively. But yes, its good to know Buffalo still has a team.

(Photo courtesy the Washington Post)